Library Card Catalog, R.I.P.

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Library Card Catalog, R.I.P.

ROHNERT PARK, California – Browsing through the shelves is one of the great joys of visiting the library. But when the shelves get too tall and threaten to take away precious study space, books are relegated to warehouses, sold, given away, or worse – retired to the circular file.

When Sonoma State University opened its new library – the Jean & Charles Schulz Information Center – last fall, it solved that problem with a system of metal storage boxes and a fast-moving computerized crane that make up the Automated Retrieval System.

The ARS is hidden away in the heart of the center and it possesses what one might call "a dirty secret" in the realm of libraries: The storage system is completely random.

The hodgepodge of materials are scattered in boxes on metal racks about 45 feet high. Currently, the system stores about 230,000 little-used periodicals and obscure books, about 25 percent of the school's total collection.

Even more startling is claims from librarians – champions of the Dewey Decimal System – that randomness is what makes the system so effective.

"That part sort of troubles people," said Barbara Butler, interim dean of the library. But "that's what makes it a fast turnaround both for pulling something out and putting something back. It doesn't have to go to a special place."

The online catalog system, called Snoopy, is Web-based, so students can order a book from anywhere and the machine will retrieve their chosen book. For example, a search for "trees" in the Snoopy database returns this book title, which is stored in the ARS: Trees and Shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands.

If a student selects this book, computers in the ARS room are alerted.

A skinny yellow crane barrels down the track and rolls by what looks like a gigantic filing cabinet. It stops at the appropriate box, and a robotic arm pulls the bin out of the metal rack. The crane slides to the front, slamming to a halt in front of the librarian, and lowers the box to the workstation.

The bins are separated into six sections, with each section holding between 10 and 25 books. A computer has stored the location of each book by section. The librarian retrieves the information, then manually picks up the book.

Boxes remain at the workstation, and when a different book is returned, it is re-scanned and placed into that open box.

It's hard to believe that such a sophisticated system is so, well, random. But there they are, Tolstoy next to Einstein next to Hemingway. That's a far cry from alphabetical order.

"It makes it far more efficient," said Greg Tichava, the ARS/Stacks Supervisor at the library. "If it's scanned and it's in the ARS, there's no question where it is."

But that's not all. The book still has to find its way to the circulation desk. The librarian then packs up the book in a box that runs on a separate electronic transfer track through the infrastructure of the building, fastens the seat belt (as this box travels upside-down at one point), and sends the book to one of three different desks.

"It's like Disneyland," Butler said.

The whole process takes about 10 minutes.

While the librarians say the response to the system has been positive, some staff were reluctant when it was first proposed.

"I think there was a lot of trepidation up front, especially by traditional users like faculty who are very devoted to the idea of browsing shelves, and of having everything exactly where it was last year," Butler said. "There was some anxiety. But once we explained what it does for us, then they began to understand the principle at work."

With the added storage, the shelves on the library floor are lower and less imposing, which allows for more light in the building, and more study areas.

"The flexibility it provides us is unbelievable, said Karen Brodsky, instruction coordinator at the library. "All libraries run into that problem: What are you going to do when the shelves are full?"

Students can watch the operation from a set of small windows on the third floor of the library (though it's more fun to see it from behind the scenes, of course). It is not in an obvious spot.

And while these types of systems may be old hat for other industries, the library application is relatively new.

California State University Northridge was the first library to implement such a system. University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Eastern Michigan University also have an ARS.

San Francisco State University has expressed an interest in housing some of its collection at Sonoma State's ARS because it is out of space. The school is already renting two warehouses to house its overflow materials.

The Jean & Charles Schulz Information Center, named for the Peanuts' creator and his wife, cost more than $40 million to build. The ARS cost about $2.1 million.

Along with the ARS, the library has built-in ports in the floor so students can log on to the Internet at any time. About half the tables in the building have built-in power strips that flip up so students can plug in a laptop and work at the table. The library is also developing a wireless laptop program for student use.

The ARS receives about 40 requests per day. The system is currently about 35 percent full, leaving plenty of room for more materials.